Born in Philadelphia within walking distance of Temple University, J. Michael Harrison’s musical open-mindedness was shaped by his older brother John, a guitarist, and his cousin, the drummer Harry “Butch” Reed. In grade school he was listening to Sly, Funkadelic, Miles, Herbie, Monk, Santana, and Coltrane, as well as Iron Butterfly, Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, the Beatles and Zappa.